Group Therapy
by girlwiththeblackinkpen
Summary: Piper plans the biggest heist of all time and it includes the participation of the six other members of her therapy group at Olympus Rehabilitation Center. And also Frank and Hazel are totally doing it. AU.
1. Hi, My Name is

**Summary: Basically, Annabeth and Leo fight for control of Olympus Rehabilitation Center, Frank and Hazel are totally doing it, and Piper plans the greatest heist of all time, and it involves all seven members of Hera's little therapy group. Oh and Percy is totally loves Annabeth, and would admit it if his ADHD would stop acting up right when he tries to talk to her.**

* * *

"Why don't we go around the circle, say our name, age, and one fact about ourselves. We've got many new people joining us today," Hera says brightly, "I'll start. My name's Hera, I'm thirty-two years old, and… hmm… I've worked here at Olympus Rehabilitation Center for eleven years this year."

"You're lying," a voice suddenly says.

Hera tenses, "Excuse me," she says through gritted teeth, turning towards the speaker, who is a pale, pretty girl with a lithe figure and curly blonde hair.

Startling grey eyes blink back at Hera, and the blonde tilts her head just so, "I'm sorry, did I mis-pronounce something? I said you were lying."

Hera looks horribly affronted, and she prods at her perfectly preened dark brown hair in frustration.

"You can't be thirty-two years old. That would make you twenty-one when you started, and to have the correct credentials, you are required to have a master's degree, and consequentially a bachelor's. Unless you are a genius, which, from the seven years I've known you, you most certainly aren't, you would not been able to complete schooling by the age of twenty-one."

"Well Miss Chase, since you are an experienced member of our program here," Hera says, smiling widely, the humor not reaching her eyes, "Why don't you introduce yourself the group then."

The girl rolls her eyes, "Annabeth Chase. I'm fifteen, and I am a genius."

"Why are you here then, if you're so clever? Shouldn't a wise girl like you know better than to land herself in therapy?" a voice says snarkily.

"_Rehabilitation, _Mr. Jackson, not therapy," Hera interjects.

Annabeth glares at the person in question, a handsome looking boy with sea-green eyes and messy dark hair.

"I'm here because I've got no where else to go, asshole. I suspect _you're _here because you chose to abuse substances or drank alcohol at some kegger and got caught. I see people like you just come and go from here. Frankly, I don't understand why I'm even in this group with _you _people who are so obviously beneath my intelligence."

"Now, Annabeth, you're here because during recovery it is good to be surrounded by peers of your age, especially in a condition such as yours," Hera says, trying to end the argument.

"I don't have a condition, Hera. I've been here since I was eight, I thought you would have figured that out already," Annabeth snaps snidely, "I'm just smarter than everybody else in this room."

"At least he gets invited to keggers, smart-ass," another boy right beside Percy says, with an impishly handsome face and curly black face. Hispanic features, and his mouth is twisted into an irritated scowl.

He drawls a metal lighter out of his pocket, fiddling with it. He flips the top open, then closes it.

Open.

Close.

Open.

Close.

"Mr. Valdez, you know you are not to have combustibles, _especially _a lighter," Hera states firmly when she sees the lighter in the boy's hands.

Valdez huffs, rolls his eyes, and puts the lighter in Hera's outstretched hand.

"Well then, that was a nice tangent," Hera sighs. She nods gently towards the person next Annabeth, a well-built boy with a buzz cut, "Go ahead and introduce yourself."

"Frank. I'm fifteen, and I like football."

Annabeth scoffs, _"Obviously an abuse of steroids, or another performance enhancer," _she says scathingly under her breath.

"Well done, Frank, next?" Hera says through gritted teeth, ignoring Annabeth.

A shy-looking girl with curly brown hair and dark skin sat up a little straighter in her blue plastic chair. She has large, luminous eyes, and she blinks twice before answering.

"I'm Hazel, and I'm fourteen, and my mother's a gypsy."

The boy with the green eyes and 'Mr. Valdez' snicker.

Hazel glares at the both of them, but Frank hesitantly pats her on the shoulder clumsily, and Hazel relaxes.

They snicker again.

"Next," Hera says, a migraine starting to form in between her eyes.

"Piper McLean, fifteen. I'm klepto," a girl with pretty features but clumsily chopped brown hair says.

"Well then," Valdez says, "That was straightforward."

Piper smirks, before letting her features drop into a cold, examining look. She reaches into her pocket, pulling out Leo's lighter that Hera had confiscated early and flashes it at him, giving a glimpse to Leo but not to Hera.

His false smile drops slightly, but it's back up in after a moment.

"Very impressive, princess. Can you steal other things? Like senses of humor?"

"What do you mea-" Hera begins, confused as she shoots a suspicious glance towards Piper next to her.

"Never mind," Valdez says dismissively, "I'm Leo, sixteen, and anything other than that is none o' ya business."

"How fitting," Annabeth says, "A snarky pyromaniac."

"Annabeth- It is very rude to accuse people of-"

"It's fine, Hera," Leo says angrily, "Smartass here is right. Let her have that superior moment of approval for her little bit of self-satisfaction that is the only thing that prevents her from killing herself at the end of the day."

"Mr. Valdez!"

"You know, Leo," Annabeth states coldly, "I've been here for seven years of my life, and I don't think I've ever met such an insecure, selfish, dick like you who hides behind that snarky little false persona. It's quite simple actually. You're actually a coward on the inside, aren't you? And you hide it behind that mask of yours. I can't wait 'til the day you leave rehab, because all that's going to happen is the cycle all over again. As soon as I turn eighteen, I'm off to Berkeley to work with particle accelerators, and where will you be in three years? Most likely doing some prostitute in the back of a sleazy club, or being arrested for another petty crime."

Annabeth huffs at the end of her rant, the room so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Shall we… move on?" Hera says, breaking the awkward silence.

Leo and Annabeth are locked in a tense stare down, and everybody else seems on the verge of quitting and running out of the room to avoid the brewing war between the pyromaniac and the blonde. But Hera will be damned if she doesn't try to salvage her first summer group meeting, and she's not about to let a stubborn genius and a teenage boy obsessed with fire ruin that.

"Percy Jackson. I'm sixteen. I like planes, monkeys, and ice cream."

"Very nice, Mr. Jackson," Hera says, "Thank you for keeping it together," she adds, glaring at Annabeth and Leo, who shrug inconsequentially.

"Erm, I'm Jason Grace," a voice hesitantly says from beside Percy. He's handsome, with a well-formed face and mussy blonde hair. If Annabeth were Barbie, Jason would be Ken – (But for Annabeth to be Barbie she'd probably need a bigger rack and the ability not to open her mouth and be a smartass, and for Jason to be Ken, well he'd need to lose the whole prep-school, gay stylist look and get some actual clothes."

"I'm fifteen, I think, and I have amnesia."

Annabeth tenses slightly at the word 'amnesia' but nobody notices beside Leo and Percy – Leo because he'd been glaring at her since earlier and Percy because Percy would really like to touch one of Annabeth's curls because they look quite soft to him.

"Well then, that is everybody, I believe," Hera says, "This is your therapy group. Together, for the next three months of summer, we are going to work intensively to help each other heal."

Annabeth sighs throughout the whole thing, mouthing the words she knows by heart – Hera recited them every summer.

"Annabeth," Hera says, "Why don't you give the tour?"

"What?"

"Give the tour," Hera says forcefully, "I'm going to talk to Hestia about dinner tonight – I'm hoping to set up an exercise."

* * *

Annabeth leads the tour with the enthusiasm of a goth at a 1D concert, and she glares at everybody with her steely silver eyes that makes people uncomfortable.

She shows them the kitchens, the gym, the library, the bathrooms, nods in the general direction of the dorms.

"Figure out the rooming yourself," Annabeth says, "Dinner's at 6:30 in the cafeteria. See you later, dipshits."

* * *

"So, each of you have a dish."

Percy glances down at the platter of sandwiches in front of him, a skeptical expression on his face.

"Hera, exactly what are you trying to accomplish here," Annabeth asks from behind her large bowl of mashed potatoes, "Because I give you a 5% chance that it will actually work."

"We're building friendships," Hera snaps, "Now, each of you have a dish. That dish is yours. You can choose to eat it all by yourself, you can trade your dish for somebody else's, or, you can share and get to eat a multitude of dishes."

Leo snorts, "Yeah, how 'bout we all just put all the dishes in the middle, ditch this stupid exercise, and eat like normal human beings."

Hera gapes like an open-mouthed fish as she watches the other kids nod in agreement as they push the food back into the center of the table.

Needless to say, when Hera makes them write on pieces of paper what they got out of the exercise, on Leo's paper is scrawled, _'A full stomach.'_

* * *

**A/N: Wow, I haven't written for this fandom in a long time... Let me know what you think? I'm thinking about more in-depth pairings, but basically it's kind of an Ocean's 11 parody but with teenagers in rehab. Don't really know where this is heading. The idea just came to me while I was eating some mint-chip ice cream...**

**Thanks for reading.**


	2. Revenge Best Served Over Hamburgers

**Ch. 2:**

* * *

**June - (Or, as Hera calls it, the month of new beginnings)**

* * *

The biggest mystery of Olympus Rehabilitation Center seems to be the reason Annabeth is there, and why she's been kept there for so long.

Leo and Percy have made it their mission to find out the reason, and have come up with several theories.

They at first believed the whole, 'I'm a genius' had not been real, and a product of Annabeth's, in theory, insane mind, but they soon realize this is not the case when she chooses chess during Game Night (and doesn't lose a game), when she kicks everybody's ass at Scrabble, and then proceeds to smile her way through Cranium and emerge victorious even though her only team mates were the shy Hazel and Hazel's loyal companion Frank – both of which only spoke to each other and communicated to others with nods or hand gestures.

Leo will admit, however, that he should've seen their smashing win in charades coming.

They soon find her physical stature isn't anything to be joked about either. She's great at capture-the-flag, and when they play basketball with a couple other kids in different therapy groups at Olympus Rehab, (they find out that it's an annual thing), there is a tense battle between Will Solace and the other captain Clarisse over who gets Annabeth on their team.

Annabeth could be considered pretty, and has proven her worth in intelligence and physical stature.

Which brings them back to square one.

Despite the fact that she could probably manipulate you into loving or hating her in under a minute, and maybe the fact that Annabeth is a real bitch to people she doesn't like. Which, granted, is everybody save perhaps Hazel – and by extension, Frank – and her two friends, Thalia and Luke, that she goes on, and on about.

This doesn't deter the pair a bit, and only make them more determined to find out why she's the current longest-standing resident of Olympus.

* * *

"Where's Jason?" Percy asks, handing Leo his lighter while Leo simultaneously handed over a couple crumpled five-dollar bills.

"Jason's trying to get his file from Piper," Percy says, accepting the bills and stuffing them into his pocket.

Leo smirks, "What did you give her for this?" He holds up the lighter, flicks it open, then close.

Open.

Close.

Open.

Close.

"I told Jason that Piper has his file," Percy says, shrugging innocently.

"Does she actually?" Leo asks, curious. Jason Grace's amnesia and possible relation to vice-president Zeus was a huge rumor that had been sweeping Olympus the last couple weeks, and Leo was determined to get to the bottom of it.

Percy shrugs again, "Either way, Piper has the biggest crush on him, I'm doing the both of them a favor."

"Hey," Annabeth says, suddenly walking into the community room.

Leo and Percy immediately clamp shut, and Annabeth's face darkens slightly as she slides onto the couch next to Percy.

"Hand me the remote," Annabeth asks, and Percy hands it over, and awkward silence settling in the room.

"How come Thalia and Luke never come to visit?" Leo asks suddenly, before Annabeth can turn the TV on.

Annabeth tenses for a moment, "They- They live in California."

"They're imaginary, aren't they?" Leo says, a stubborn tone in his voice as he flicks the lighter open, and then close.

Each time it opens, the lighter makes a metalic _shhh_.

Open.

Close.

The lighter opens twice before Annabeth replies, a frown on her face.

"No. They aren't. They're real."

She hands the remote back to Percy, "Here. I'm not in the mood anymore."

The door slams shut behind her.

* * *

Percy had a couple letters to give to Hera for mailing to his mom, and his best friend Grover back home, and he made his way to her office, trotting down the white-washed halls at a moderate pace.

The door to her office is cracked slightly, and Percy spies the trademark blonde princess curls inside, and he pauses, listening at the door.

"….I need these mailed," Annabeth says, and she tosses two letters onto Hera's desk.

Hera doesn't look away from the computer monitor, "Are these going to friends of yours from college?"

College?

Oh wait.

The genius thing. Right.

"No, I didn't have any friends in college," Annabeth says, tapping her arm impatiently, "They're going to Luke and Thalia. And the smaller one is going to Berkeley, to ask my professor if he won't accept me as an intern so I can start my work now."

Hera finally takes her eyes off the screen, and an expression on her face that Percy can't comprehend.

"Annabeth… Thalia and Luke died six years ago, remember?"

Annabeth's brow furrows, "No, no- you can just mail them to my mother. She'll get the letters to them."

"Your mother died just before you came here," Hera says gently, "Your father sent you here because you were having trouble coping – remember?"

"NO!" Annabeth shrieks, and Percy flinches at the utter pain in her voice, "That's not true!"

Annabeth buries her face in her hands, sinking into the nearby sofa. Hera gets up, and runs a soothing hand on Annabeth's back. Annabeth shudders with each sob, and Percy's heart breaks a little.

And then, Annabeth just stops.

She lifts her head, her face rearranged into the usual derisive sneer. She stands, shouldering off Hera's hand, "Mail those to Luke and Thalia, Hera."

Annabeth nods once before she walks out the door.

Percy recognizes the look in Hera's eyes now.

Pity.

* * *

Percy so screwed over his head right now. Hera's coming down the halls, on her annual "random" search for illegal substances, and he promised Will Solace he'd stash his weed for him if he gave him twenty dollars.

Percy's saving up to surprise his mom at the end of summer, but he might end up with no money and in jail instead.

Great.

A knock sounds on his door, and he stuffs the bag into his back pocket, plasters on an innocent(ish) grin, and opens the door.

It's only Annabeth.

"Um, can I help you?" Percy asks nervously.

Annabeth raises a brow, "Did I interrupt something?"

"No- no, I was just…"

Annabeth nods for him continue.

"Where's a good place to hide something?" Percy manages to blurt out.

"What exactly are you hiding?" Annabeth asks, setting down Percy's laundry.

"Drugs."

Annabeth frowns, "I guess I was wrong. I thought you had ADHD or dyslexia, I didn't think you did drugs. You certainly don't look the part…" she murmurs to herself.

"I don't. It's a friends."

She rolls her eyes, "I'm guessing you're getting paid?"

Percy doesn't answer, but Annabeth can already surmise as much from his expression.

"Fine. But you're delivering the rest of the laundry," Annabeth says, dragging the overflowing basket in and pushing it by Percy's bed, "Come on."

Annabeth leads Percy down the corridors, past the community room, the cafeteria, the gym, down a flight of stairs, into an obscure passageway, then up three flights of stairs.

Annabeth nimbly runs ahead of Percy on the stairs, leaving Percy behind, huffing.

He arrives at a generic metal door, and he pushes it open hesitantly.

The pollution of the city blocks out most of the stars, but the North Star still glimmers in the light. The moon's pale light glimmers and makes Annabeth's grinning face appear to have a childlike innocence that Percy wouldn't usually associate with Annabeth.

Annabeth nods over to a pile of boxes in the corner, "I hide all my stuff up here. Just stick it in one of those boxes."

She sighs, looking out over the quiet streets, and makes to go back inside.

"Annabeth, um, thanks," Percy blurts out suddenly.

Annabeth smiles, and it knocks Percy out of breath to see what her genuine smile (not her derisive sneer or her haughty smirk) looks like.

Percy sticks an awkward hand out, "Friends?"

Annabeth takes it hesitantly, awkwardly, and nods, "Friends."

* * *

Khione looks at Leo, examines him coldly.

'_They say her hair is so big, it's full of secrets,' _Piper had said sarcastically at dinner once.

Leo puts up a facade of relaxed calm, despite the prickling fear tugging at his chest as her dark eyes take him in.

"So, what exactly do you want to know?" Khione asks.

Her voice is steely and icy, matches her pale skin and ebony hair perfectly. Her eyes are brown, almost hazel, and the darkness seems to cling to her eyelashes and the cold aura is beginning to chill Leo.

"Annabeth Chase. Everything about her," Leo says back, struggling to keep his voice level.

Khione sneers, the corners of her mouth lifting to reveal a perfect set of glimmering white teeth, "Obsessed much?"

"More like out to get revenge," Leo replies.

Jesus Christ, every minute those teeth are looking more and more like fangs.

Khione's smile deepens, "You know I don't just give away information, right?"

"Of course. What's your price?"

"We could do the usual... A secret for a secret..." Khione says, or voice drifting at the end.

"Or?"

"Or I think there are _other _much more _interesting _ways for me to be paid," Khione says, her hand trailing down Leo's arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

Her eyes are suddenly a dark black, and not the cold brown from earlier, and Leo nods, eager.

Whether for the information, or the payment, he's not quite sure.

* * *

"Hey, Wise Girl!" Percy says, waving Annabeth over to the empty spot next to him at the table.

"What?" Percy asks, but his mouth is full of pizza so it comes out as a, _"Wa?"_

Annabeth wrinkles her nose, but Leo bulldozes forward, "Thalia and Luke, those are your bestest friends, right Annabeth? Your BFFs?"

"Actually Luke is my cousin and Thalia is his girl-" Annabeth begins but Leo cuts her off.

"I heard that your mom died, Annabeth," Leo continues, his voice suddenly cold.

The dining room is silent. Hazel has a worried look on her face, and under the table, Frank is gripping her hand.

All of the other ten eyes are locked on Leo and Annabeth.

"Excuse me?" Annabeth asks, and her voice is small, like a mouse.

And a mouse-voice doesn't suit smartass Annabeth at all.

"I heard your mom died, and you were going crazy," Leo repeats, slowly this time, as if he's explaining this somebody who's stupid.

Annabeth's not stupid, however.

Far from it.

Her knuckles are white on her cup. If Percy concentrates hard enough, he can teeny, tiny white fractures in the glass.

"...So crazy," Leo says in a mocking, sing-song voice, "That your dad dumped you here because he couldn't handle having a person who's odder than a seven-dollar bill in his care."

"I- I'm not-" Annabeth begins, but her voice is faltering, and now, everybody in the dining room knows who's done their homework, and who hasn't.

Leo's obviously been preparing this for a while, and Annabeth is paying for it.

"Of course, Luke and Thalia were prepared to adopt you once they turned eighteen," Leo says, not finished, "But that didn't happen, did it?"

Annabeth is clutching her chest, looking as if she can't breathe. Her face has gone pale, and her blonde curls are hanging lank by her slack jaw.

"Where are Luke and Thalia?" Leo asks, "Are they dead?"

Annabeth shudders, and the tears finally spills over, and she shoots up, running out of the room. She manages to shoot one betrayed look at Percy before she leaves, and the sound of her sob echoes in Percy's head.

_Are they dead?_

* * *

"...Ha! And her face when I told her father! _Priceless_!" Leo said, sniggering. He leans back, his arms behind his head and preening like a pompous, satisfied cat.

Leo was interrupted in the middle of his tirade, however, by a rather sudden and quite painful punch to the face. Percy reeled back, a shocked but satisfied expression on his face.

"I-" Percy began, but his voice trembled with fury, "Don't talk about her like that!"

He stomped out of the community room, leaving behind a shocked Leo with a blooming bruise forming underneath his left eye.

Piper put down her magazine, standing up from the couch. She leaned over Leo, a large frown crossing her symmetrical features.

"What?" Leo snapped, prodding his tender cheek, "Y'gonna punch me too?"

Piper shook her head, leaning back a little as Jason helped Leo up.

"It's just that I have plans that involve all seven of us, and some parts involve the voluntary cooperation of Percy and Annabeth. So I would like if you please apologized to them as soon as possible so that my plan can move along smoothly," Piper said, the coldness of her eyes and the firmness of her voice letting Leo know that she did not mean the 'please' nor was it a request.

She got up, and exited the room, most likely to nick more things from Hera's office.

"Why were you so set on destroying Annabeth anyway?" Jason asks, pulling Leo onto the couch as he signaled to Hazel for some ice.

Hazel nods, and Frank trails behind her.

Leo huffs, his hand still not moving off his darkening bruise.

"She was fuckin' there when she died. When both of them died. And she survived? And she din'?" Leo's slurring his words and Jason can't understand what he's saying anymore.

_"Not fair," _Jason hears Leo whispers, _"I fuckin' saw here there and she was only one who survived and that's not fair."_

"When who died?" Jason manages to get out between Leo's insane mutterings.

"Calypso."

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, in case you haven't realized by now, everybody's a little OOC. But canon pairings, and all that jazz. So... um yeah.**

**Is where I ended a cliff-hanger? I guess so. Maybe.**

**Thanks to everybody who reviewed, and I'm glad most of you found it funny (that was the point...)**

**Next Time,**

**JJ**


	3. If You're Lost, I Will Catch You

**Ch. 3**

**June - Or, as Leo calls it, "Shove it up your ass, Hera."**

* * *

2 YEARS AGO; 14 YEARS OLD_  
_

* * *

There is a slight blonde with blazing silver eyes, her facial expression not changing as a fire fighter draped a thin grey blanket over her shoulders. She couldn't be that much older than Leo, perhaps even the same age.

Leo doesn't cry.

He spies a burned, blackened body being pulled along on a stretcher into an ambulance.

It could be Calypso, or his mother.

But he doesn't cry.

A lone yellow and gold puppy scutters over to Leo. His fur is matted with blood.

_'Mrs. O' Leary' _her collar reads.

Ash coats her paws, and she lets out a small wheeze.

Another corpse - or is this a live one now?

Leo doesn't care.

_Calypso's dead._

He can't breathe.

He can't feel.

_Mom's dead._

He can't cry.

He can't do anything.

Except look at the blazing silver eyes of the only survivor. She doesn't notice him. She sits almost blankly on the edge of the gurney. Soon after a woman with dark brown hair waddles up to the fire fighters, shows them something. The blonde rolls her eyes, an EMT checks her over, Leo watches as the woman draws the girl in for a tight hug.

The girl only rolls her eyes.

They walk off together.

She's able to walk away.

But Leo can't move.

He leans against the brick wall of the alleyway he's hunched up in. The police wouldn't let him closer to the burning store.

Cigarette butts are scattered around him, broken pieces of glass.

And a small, metal, novelty lighter.

He picks it up, staring at the burnt shell of a building is beginning to make his stomach churn, and he turns it over in his hands.

A plain, square-shaped lighter, coated in silver and with no decoration save a thin engraving.

_'Hephaestus'_

Leo doesn't know who the hell Hephaestus is, or _what_ it is.

He opens the lighter. It makes a slight hissing sound when when he opens it, and a _shhh_ when he closes it.

Open.

Close.

Open.

Close.

Open.

He flicks it. A tiny, orange flame bursts out of the lighter, and Leo looks at it.

Fire.

* * *

PRESENT TIME

* * *

Percy paces outside Annabeth's door.

_Walk, walk, walk, turn._

_Walk, walk, walk, turn._

_"Just go in, say you're sorry, get out," _Percy mutters to himself, _"Go in, apologize, leave."_

He nods, looking to the door as if it will give him some form of strength, but it offers no such condolences. He groans, and promptly kicks the door in anger.

A pain shoots through his foot, and he clutches it howling.

Damn. That hurt.

The door swings open, and Percy flies back, still holding his foot.

Annabeth stands in the doorway, her hair mussed and wearing pajamas.

Riight. It's also 3 AM.

Percy just forgot.

But he's got ADHD, so you can't really blame him.

So, hah.

Annabeth speaks, but Percy isn't paying any attention, so he blinks once.

"What?" Percy asks, but he more yells it and Annabeth hisses at the loud noise.

Annabeth drags him inside, "You wanna wake everybody up, Kelp-for-Brains?"

"Kelp?" Percy asks, sitting blankly down on the chair by Annabeth's desk while she shuts the door.

"You look like you surf," Annabeth says, shrugging, sitting on the bed.

There's an opened letter on the bed. And Percy fixates on it.

He's buzzing to ask what's inside, but he knows it's rude, but...

"What's that?" Percy blurts out, nodding toward the envelope.

"Oh, that's a letter from my professor," Annabeth says, waving it off, "You could read it, if you like. I'm quite proud of the contents."

Percy eagerly grabs it, grabbing the letter inside and tossing the envelope inside.

He pauses, because Annabeth is looking expectantly at him from her perch on her bed. Percy uneasily sets the letter down for a moment.

"Listen, Annabeth..." Percy says, "About earlier, I'm really sorry. I really didn't know Leo would say that, y'know?"

"Say what?" Annabeth asks, her brow furrowing in confusion, "What about earlier?"

Percy is at a loss.

She really doesn't remember?

"Anyways," Annabeth says dismissively, "If you want to read the letter could you hurry up? I really want to get crackin' at another plan to convert the kitchens into a laboratory."

Should he tell her? What should he do?

_'Forgive and forget. Annabeth's just doing that literally.' _A voice says, but another, softer, quieter voice also says, _'But she doesn't know what she's forgiving and forgetting in the first place.'_

Percy smiles, "Sure."

He lifts up the letter again, perusing the contents.

_'Miss Annabeth Chase,_

_I'm very sorry to inform you that your spot with us at Berkeley has, unfortunately, been given away. Please note this is not at all a reflection of your skill or intelligence, but more so so because you are currently occupied with the program at Olympus Rehabilitation Center...'_

_..._

Oh, God.

Poor Annabeth.

Percy looks over at her, where she was glaring over at what appears to be blueprints for a nuclear bomb, and the feeling of guilt hits him like a truck.

One line stands out to Percy.

_'...We do hope you will visit us at Berkeley some time...'_

Oh, gods.

"Annabeth, this letter..."

"Is an acceptance into the nuclear physics program at Berkeley! I just have to wait a couple years until I get out of here and then I can start my work!" Annabeth interrupts gleefully, one of her rare, genuine smiles spreading slowly across her face, "Not as a student, either, but a researcher! Isn't it amazing?"

"Annabeth..."

"What?" Annabeth asks, her smile drooping a little.

Percy hesitates slightly, "This is a letter saying they gave away your spot in the program..."

Annabeth's face goes blank. Totally, completely, utterly devoid of emotion.

Pale, and white, framed by gold.

"That isn't funny, Percy," Annabeth says harshly, "You shouldn't joke about that."

Her lips droop in the corners, pressed tightly together. Her eyes are squited suspiciously.

"It's not a joke, Annabeth! Look!" Percy says. He's desperate now. He needs her to remember. He needs her to slap him for what Leo said, to hit him and punish him because the guilt is eating away at him and hurting him so much, she needs to understand and remember and it's so frustrating and-

"Get out." Annabeth says coldly. Her eyes are a dark, stormy grey.

Her hair is blazing gold.

"What?" Percy asks, his voice soft and shocked.

"Get. Out."

She shoves him out, and the door slams shut behind him.

The lock clicks.

And Percy's left feeling worse than before he had entered her room.

* * *

"Come on."

"Why? Where're we goin'?" Piper asks, trailing behind Annabeth.

"The Boiler Room," Annabeth states plaintively.

"The boiler room?" Piper asks, raising an eyebrow.

Annabeth rolls her eyes, "No. The Boiler Room. With a capital 'B,' capital 'R.'

"What's the difference?"

"There's no cameras in the Boiler Room."

Annabeth leads her down the emergency stairwell, into a small storage closet.

"I found this while I was playing hide-and-seek when I was nine," Annabeth says, grunting and pushing a heavy box aside, "They still haven't found my hiding spot whenever we play."

"They?" Piper asks, lifting a brow.

"Will Solace and Clarisse."

"I meant to ask you - why doesn't Clarisse have a last name?"

"Nobody knows it," Annabeth says, and she pulls up the wooden trap-door that had been hidden by the boxes earlier, "She just showed up one day on the doorstep of Olympus. Y'know, the whole baby-in-a-box thing, but instead of a box, she had a suitcase, and instead of a baby, she was twelve."

"Were you there? When she showed up?" Piper asks, helping Annabeth shift a box to hide the entrance from view.

Annabeth shakes her head, "I was at college for three years. From when I was twelve to fifteen."

"...Woah..."

A deep, spacious, underground cavern, with haphazard light bulbs strung along the walls by a thin wire. Annabeth flicked the switch on, revealing a large wall where she had hung up various schematics of devices, drawings, sketches. Another whole wall was devoted to architecture, and Piper paused a minute to admire the detail.

Annabeth stands proudly at the doorway which led to a ladder, and points to the vent that Piper hadn't noticed before, "That's how we get air circulation down here. It was all already built. I think it was a bomb shelter once."

Piper nods, whistling appreciatively, "Damn. This is perfect, 'Beth, thanks."

A flicker of something flashes across Annabeth's face. She shudders for a moment, stills, and then Annabeth's trademark, emotionless expression spreads across her face.

Piper is startled by the transformation.

_Note to self: Don't call Annabeth "Beth."_

She doesn't say anything, though.

_Don't ask, don't tell._ That's Piper's motto.

Along with, _Sitting with your legs open will give guys the wrong idea.__  
_

But the latter is more her mom's saying, and a totally different story.

"Why did you ask me for, and I quote, _'the perfect meeting spot where Hera can't be sticking her nosy ass where it doesn't need to be?'"_ Annabeth asks, leaning against the wall.

Piper grins, "I've got big plans for us, y'know?"

"No, I don't know," Annabeth states bluntly.

"I'm planning the greatest heist of all time," Piper says.

"Interesting," Annabeth replies, looking at her nails. She says it in a tone of voice as if Piper had suggested getting their nails done, or having a girl's night, neither of which Annabeth would be remotely interested in, "And what would I stand to receive from this?"

"Around $20,000. Each."

"Hmmm. Alright. But if they're not in from the beginning they _don't _get to see my hiding spot."

"Deal," Piper says, "Wait, you wouldn't mind if Leo and Percy and everybody's there, right?"

"Why would I mind?"

"...Nevermind."

* * *

_Having a meeting._

_Come to the emergency stairwell on the first floor._

_If you don't wanna join, don't come._

_Once you're in, you can't get back out._

* * *

"Did you get one too?" Leo asks, glancing at the paper clutched in Jason's hand.

Jason blushes and moves it slightly away from Leo. Leo grins, and promptly snatches it out of Jason's hand.

_Hey babe,_

_Come down to the emergency stairwell on the first floor._

_XOXO_

_Piper_

"_'Babe?'_" Leo asks, snickering.

"Give it back!" Jason roars, grabbing at the note.

"Sure, _babe," _Leo croons, handing the paper back.

"What are you guys doin' here?" Percy asks suddenly, coming up from behind him.

Leo holds up his note, and eyes Percy's, disappointed to find it identical to his own.

Frank and Hazel arrive silently, making the space in the emergency stairwell even more crowded.

"Oh good," Piper says from the top of the stairwell, "All of you guys are here."

"Yeah, what's this about, anyway?" Leo asks, leaning against the wall.

Piper grins, her smile appearing cat-like in the dim lighting, "Come on, follow me."

* * *

8 YEARS AGO; 7 YEARS OLD

* * *

Annabeth sits in the office, her legs dangling over the side of the chair. Her backpack is slung over her shoulder, her hair tied in a messy pony-tail that she did herself that morning.

She sniffles.

It's four thirty.

School ended at three.

"Annabeth?" the office secretary calls from outside the office. Her purse is slung over her shoulder, like she's preparing to leave, "You're cousin's here to pick you up."

Luke peaks his head into the office, waving, "Hey, 'Beth!"

Annabeth smiles, running up to hug Luke.

Luke lifts her up, his own backpack thudding on his back, "Come on, kiddo, let's go."

Luke leads her out to his car, (which he had lovingly dubbed, _'BackBiter'_), and settles Annabeth in shotgun.

"Don't tell, alright?" Luke says, winking.

Annabeth nods, pressing a finger up to her lips, in an act of keeping silent.

Luke pulls out of the parking lot, and he sighs, runs one hand through his blond hair. The road zips underneath them, they approach the Golden Gate before Luke starts to speak.

"Did those bullies bother you again?" Luke asks as he hands over the toll fee.

The man nods, they move along.

Annabeth shakes her head, "My teacher said they are going to move me up again, so they let me read in the classroom while the other kids had recess."

"So they know, then? About the bullying?" Luke asks, his tone more pressing now.

Annabeth doesn't answer, instead replying with a question of her own, "Why didn't Mom pick me up today?"

Luke hesitates, slightly, barks a nervous laugh, "Can't get anything past you, can I?"

Annabeth blinks twice solemnly in answer.

"'Beth, your mom, she was working in the lab and there was an explosion," Luke said quietly. His voice is solemn, sad.

Annabeth tenses immediately, "An-And what happened to her?"

"The reactors overloaded, and the radiation killed everybody there."

Annabeth is silent for a long time. She turns her head, watching the waves of the Pacific Ocean lap onto the rocky beach below.

The silence buzzes in Luke's ear, and he needs Annabeth to say something - _anything._

The road rises, falls, curves right, swings left.

"Annabeth?" Luke calls softly, glancing worriedly at Annabeth, "'Beth?"

She turns, and her stormy eyes are a pale, steely silver, in contrast to the usual warm grey.

"Am I going to stay with Father now?"

"Yes," Luke says hesitantly, "But I've discussed things with him, and we've decided once I get out of high school I can formally adopt you and you can come live with me and Thalia."

Annabeth reminds silent.

"Y-you remember Thalia, right?" Luke stutters, feeling the need to fill the silence.

"Take me home," Annabeth says, her voice low, solemn.

"We're heading there right-"

"To my mom's home," Annabeth says. Her voice is tired.

Luke nods, swinging a left. They drive in silence for ten minutes, then pulls up to a modest brownstone.

"Wait here," Annabeth says curtly, with the tone of a grown woman, and not the seven-year-old she really is.

When Annabeth slides back into the car, clutching a bag of personal items, Luke pretends not to see the wet tear tracks on her face.

* * *

_**In the wind,**_

_**all our memories go,**_

_**carried away,**_

_**like autumn leaves.**_

_**But if you grab one,**_

_**before it leaves you,**_

_**be sure to hold on tight,**_

_**Or it'll escape you.**_

* * *

_**A/N: **_**Like I don't know anymore.**


	4. But I Might Drop You

**Ch. 4**

**July - Hera's month of changes ('More like, month of hellish team-building exercises' according to Percy.)_  
_**

* * *

Piper's plans are very elaborate and detailed, meaning they require multiple going-overs before Percy even gets what's going on.

(At the third meeting of their group, Percy raises his hand timidly, and said, _"Wait, are we planning a robbery?"_)

Annabeth gives her a 72% chance of them succeeding, which makes Piper beam with pride.

Leo is uncharacteristically quiet during the whole ordeal, taking his role as main distraction with a quiet acceptance uncanny to him.

Percy is assigned his tag-team partner.

Piper awards herself the lengthy title, _"Heist/Robbery Coordinator and Overseer of all Things Awesome," _Jason is only one to agree with her on that, but somehow she still manages to convince everybody that without that title to her name, the whole plan would collapse and the group would dissolve into anarchy.

Hazel and Frank are recon, and are going to scout the bank two days before the actual heist.

Piper's main function is to get weapons for the actual heist, which sounds difficult but Annabeth once watched her talk Hestia out of the keys to the food storage room for their one-month-done-in-this-devil's-anus-party.

And despite Hestia's kind exterior, when it comes to her and her food, she's more territorial than a pissed Draco Malfoy.

Annabeth has multiple duties. She goes over the plan for any possible flaws, she must hack the security footage, and she is responsible for getting the transport to the bank.

Jason and Frank will also be providing the muscle, and will be flanking Piper as she waits for Annabeth to signal her that she was successful in hacking the vault.

At first, Leo called Jason and Frank Piper's _'goons' _but Jason, Frank, _and _Hazel simultaneously punch him in the arm, cancelling that idea.

Leo says he's going spend his share on a pile of that expensive driftwood shit and watch it burn on the beach for a week.

* * *

2 YEARS AGO; 14 YEARS OLD

* * *

Leo looks at the paper in his hand, then looks back up again at the battered, worn sign.

_Ogygia Animal Center_

Except, most of the vowels are missing so it really reads, _'Ogyg Nim l C nt r'_

Leo pushes open the door gingerly, and a bell trills as he walks inside. The interior isn't much better, battered and worn but mostly clean.

A pretty, petite girl with dark brown hair is sitting demurely at the desk, flipping through a magazine. She glances up at Leo's entrance.

Leo plasters on a suave expression, "Hey there, Smokin'"

The girl rolls her eyes, "You're the new volunteer, right?"

"Erm, yeah."

Leo tries not to redden in embarrassment.

Keep it cool.

"You can scrub down the visitor room," she says, "Until you get the training, you're not allowed to work with the animals."

"Really?"

The girl glances up from her magazine, sending him a glare that says, _Why-are-you-still-here-wasting-my-time?_

"What's your name, Cutie?"

The endearment rolls off of Leo's tongue like honey, despite the sharp glares that she is sending his way.

"Let's see if you last the week before I give away that kinda sensitive information."

Her tone is warm and teasing, with a slight exotic accent that Leo can't place. But he finds himself drawn to the way her 'a's hollow out and all of her 'i's soften into long 'e's.

"Alright, beautiful," Leo says.

The girl rolls her eyes.

She totally digs him.

* * *

PRESENT TIME

* * *

The plan goes wrong from the start.

During their recon, a guy makes the mistake of making a pass at Hazel, and Frank goes possessive teenage football player mode and punches him on the nose.

They are now both banned from the bank, and were escorted out before they could get any information.

Annabeth had faked field trip forms and forged very complicated documents that allowed them use of the Olympus Rehab van on that day, and because of the extravagance and all of the Rehab "back-channels" she had to use to get the documents meant they had to go on the day as planned, without the information they needed.

Percy, in some sort of ironic form of early karma from the gods, had gotten sick with pneumonia (swimming in the middle of night is now proved not to be good for you), and he's immediately quarantined in the rehab hospital, where the other recovering addicts can't steal his flu meds.

(Somehow, Piper still manages to get most of them from right under the infirmary nurse Minerva's nose, and makes a handsome profit off of them.)

So Percy is out, Frank's been banned and Hazel won't go unless Frank goes too.

And that's how Leo ends up on the sidewalk, with a zip-tie around his wrists.

"You kids are going to be taken down to juvie where we'll call your parents to come pick you up," one of the cops, (Leo's decided to call him Mustache) states gruffly.

Piper scoffs, "Yeah, like my dad's gonna take the time to come pick me up."

They've taken his lighter away.

Leo feels like he's going to throw up.

* * *

"I'm utterly disgusted by your behavior!" Hera hisses, "And here I was believing we were making some _progress _with those excercises we've been doing."

Annabeth let out her patented snort of haughtiness.

"Up to your dorms! Now!" Hera barks.

Annabeth, Piper, Leo, and Jason rise shuffling out of Hera's office.

"Annabeth, you stay behind."

Annabeth tenses, and Piper turns, a guilty expression on her face.

Annabeth shakes her head, and slides back into the chair in Hera's office.

She frowns, and Hera waits for the other kids to leave.

"Annabeth, your- your stepmother called," Hera says slowly.

She recognizes that somber, pitying tone of voice. Hera used it the day she told her that Luke and Thalia had-

Wait. No.

No.

They're not dead.

They're not.

Because. Because -

Annabeth lets out a scream, clutching her head in her hands. She doesn't stop, only letting out a long, continuous, high-pitched wail.

The room sways. Suddenly she standing in front of the door, her hand is reaching for the door knob.

_I have to get out of here._

_"Annabeth! Annabeth! Percy get Minerva!"_

_God, that voice is so annoying. Percy is cute though. He's got really nice eyes._

_Really, really nice eyes._

Annabeth can't see in front of her, it's all black.

She can see stars - when did they go outside?

* * *

Annabeth is on a swing. She rocks gently back and forth, her bare toes skimming along the cool grass, curling into the damp earth beneath. She looks at her feet, absorbed with watching two lady-bugs crawling under her. A warm hand suddenly touches the one holding onto the chain, and she looks up to be greeted by Percy's warm smile.

She matches it with one of her own.

"Wanna push me?" She asks, pushing herself back with her toes and then releasing herself, savoring the feeling of the cool wind in her face.

Percy nods, and gently pushes her lower back.

Up.

Down.

Her legs are swinging beneath her. As she goes up, she extends them, and as she swings back she bends them accordingly, "Percy, I'm going to jump."

Percy nods, "I'll catch you."

She jumps, and for a small, short, indescribable moment, she's flying. Her arms are extended out, the sun shines in her face, her hair flies around her face. A laugh bubbles up from her core, pure elation and happiness coursing through her.

But Percy's disappeared.

And she falls to the ground.

* * *

She wakes up on the floor. Something is digging painfully in her leg, and a pair of strong arms are cradling her to a chest.

"Annabeth?"

She looks up, and it a guy with handsome, angular features and sea-green eyes is holding her in his arms, looking down at her.

"You okay?"

Concern is etched in his face, and Annabeth doesn't like it.

She shrinks away, pushing a loose strand of blonde hair away from face.

Confusion flashes across his face, and then a look of hurt.

Hera is there - on her knees, "Annabeth, are you alright?"

Annabeth nods shakily, "What happened?"

"You had a panic attack - I think," the guy from earlier says. He reaches out suddenly, and Annabeth instinctively slaps his hand away.

_A pain courses through her. She's sitting on a rooftop with him, looking at the stars._

"What the hell? Why are you trying to touch me?" Annabeth turns to Hera, "Hera, who is this?"

_"...so crazy, that your dad dumped you here because he couldn't handle having a daughter that's odder than a seven-dollar bill in his care..."_

"You don't remember me?" the guy asks, he's backing up, looking hurt, confused, dejected.

"No. Should I?"

* * *

_You know, during the Wake,_

_how everybody's crying for a person they didn't know,_

_and saying, "The King's dead."_

_"Long live the King."_

_Yeah._

_It sucks, doesn't it?_

* * *

**A/N: Hello there, reader.**

**Thanks. You know. You've sat through the crappy story, the little random quote, and now you're reading the author note.**

**You're a cool cat who just won't quit, will you?**

**Haha. Parks and Rec reference.**

**Anyways.**

**Most of my stories are romance or drama, I guess, and this is an experiment, if you will. Because this is how I usually write. Random and drastic and cynical and sad. So I guess, this is me, this is real, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be yeah, gotta let the light, shine on meeeeeeee.**

**Ahem.**

**I'm gonna eat something now. This chapter's drained me. It was originally going to be the last, and then an epilogue, but it's grown.**


	5. If You're Lost, You Can Look

**O, the ways of the world,**

**we are blessed with many woes.**

**Many secrets, and much heart ache.**

* * *

July - (Piss off, Hera, we're sick of your damn exercises.)

* * *

5 YEARS AGO; 9 YEARS OLD

* * *

Hazel's mother stops talking the second time her husband hits her. Red, angry, ferocious marks streak her beautiful, flawless dark skin.

She strikes back, at first, but she quickly learns that not saying anything is better than speaking back.

Fighting back makes it worse.

Hazel is shoved into a closet when it starts, and gently pulled out when it ends. She doesn't see anything but glimpses through the cracks in the closet doors. Hazel's mother sobs into Hazel's shoulder.

No child should ever see their mother cry.

One night, when Hazel's father goes to hit Hazel, her mother scoops up Hazel, takes the jewelry off her vanity, and dashes out into the night, barefoot, and with nothing to their name.

They live in a homeless shelter for a while.

Hazel wonders if her friends at school miss her.

Then Hazel's mom gets a job at a place with bright, flashing lights where there's always loud music and smells bad.

Hazel doesn't like it, but Hazel's mom will often make Hazel wait in the back room that has a ton of mirrors and make-up and jewelry and fancy outfits that Hazel likes to play with.

Sometimes the other women that work there dote on Hazel, and bring her little roses and tiny toys.

Hazel's mom never speaks, however.

Hazel hears one of her mom's meaner coworkers whisper the word behind her mom's back.

_Mute._

* * *

PRESENT TIME

* * *

The only one who can get Annabeth to talk (really talk, not bite out snarky retorts, which is what Hera can do), is Hazel. She's usually accompanied by Frank, who doesn't stray farther from Hazel than her elbow.

It's soon found that she forgot everything about Percy during her blackout. And also the fact that Luke and Thalia are dead.

Sometimes, Hazel watches as Annabeth gets a faraway look in her eyes, a deep frown and a disturbed expression sliding into place over her silver eyes.

Hera, at first, thought that Jason might perhaps be able to relate to Annabeth given that they both suffer from a form of amnesia, but Annabeth refuses to acknowledge her amnesia and Jason is slightly intimidated by her.

Meaning the hour that Hera forces Jason to spend with Annabeth in the hospital wing is painfully awkward.

So, in the end, Jason ends up sneaking out and Hazel ends up heading back in after Hera kicks her out.

Hazel does most of the talking, which is uncharacteristic of her. Annabeth is content to sit in her bunk in the medical wing and listen to her talk.

Hazel tells her that her father's had a heart attack.

He's in the hospital, and she's heading home.

"Home?" Annabeth spits, "I haven't been 'home' in nearly a decade."

Her step-mother will be coming to pick her up in a week.

Percy sometimes hovers at the edge of the doorway, looking like he's about to step inside but actually not doing so.

Hazel wishes that they'd just kiss like they do in the movies, when the prince and the princess get together.

Like in the movies.

* * *

Annabeth's bags are packed. She's waiting on the curb, a stiffly grinning Hera standing at her shoulder. Hazel stands with glittering eyes by Annabeth, and Piper stands quietly, her fingers twiddling nervously.

Leo is frowning at the curb, while Percy hovers between the side-walk and the door. Jason fiddles with Piper's hand, and simultaneously glances back at the pacing Percy.

A blue sedan pulls up, and a pretty woman with Asian features peeks out from the passenger seat. Annabeth spies the silhouette of her step-brother at the wheel. She stiffens.

"How long's it been?" Hera asks, and for the first time in eight years, a flash of emotion.

Annabeth sends Hera a peculiar look, a sad gleam in her eyes. She shrugs, and it fades, "Seven, eight years."

She unceremoniously loads her bags into the trunk. She nods, "I'll be back," a flicker of almost, sadness, crosses her face, but the moment is ruined by her next statement of, "Unfortunately for me, this shithole's my home."

Hera gives her a quick hug, and backs up. She sniffles, pats Annabeth's hand, and steps back.

Hazel and Piper both give Annabeth a haphazard hug, to which Annabeth tenses but accepts. Jason nods, and offers Annabeth an outstretched hand. She takes it.

"Thanks," Annabeth says, and Jason smiles knowingly.

Percy glances hesitantly at the door, where _Olympus Rehabilitation Center _was printed over the door.

Annabeth goes to open the car door, but Percy grabs her wrist, stopping her. She whips around, her blonde strands of hair falling in the slight breeze created.

And Percy plants a kiss right on her lips.

She blinks. Once, twice. Her mouth is open.

She stiffens, and a look of dread crosses Percy's face.

"S-sor-"

"No," Annabeth says, her voice is strained, "Um, thanks, Percy."

She coughs, he coughs.

"Um, call me?"

Annabeth nods awkwardly, "O-Okay. I will."

She coughs again, ducks into the car.

And drives off.

* * *

Annabeth sleeps for most of the flight from New York to San Francisco. When she gets up, her step-mom leads her to the parking lot where her car is parked and they drive to San Jose.

It rains as they're driving out of San Francisco. Annabeth leans her head against the window, watching the raindrops drip onto the glass and trail down.

"When we get home, I've set up your room already for you," her step-mom's voice sounds from the passenger seat, "It took a lot of convincing for your father to let you back home, but I've pulled some favors at my work and you'll be able to start an internship at CalPoly."

Annabeth doesn't make any noise, only continues staring out at the passing ocean.

The sun dips below the horizon, causing a streak of orange to flash across the sky as it sinks down.

And it looks like the sky's on fire.

* * *

Leo finds a lighter on his bed when he gets back to his dorm room, after they say good-bye to Annabeth.

Truth be told, Leo didn't hate Annabeth.

He hates God, or Jesus, or Buddha, or whatever gods and deities are up there for striking down that beautiful spirit in Calypso and taking her from him.

God damn, she was absolutely beautiful.

They'd had their year or so of bliss, their happily ever after was well-earned, and yet the tale was twisted and warped into a nightmare, a horror story.

A crime that left only a blonde genius to let Leo's anger out at.

It's not the lighter Leo had found at the site of Calypso's death, but it opens with the same sound and has a mysterious owl engraved into the side, the size of Leo's pinkie nail.

He flicks it open, then closes it.

Open.

Close.

Open.

Close.

Open.

Leo breaks the pattern, flicking the button and watching as a small flame swallows up, emanating a small orb of light.

He looks at it, and sees the note lying on his bed.

_Piper told me everything._

_You're girlfriend seemed like a nice person._

_All's forgiven._

_- Annabeth_

Leo shakes the flame out, closes the lighter, and sets it on his dresser by his bed. He sighs, folding his hands over his stomach.

And he cries.

* * *

**Over there, she will be too full to swallow sorrow.**


	6. Epilogue

Percy likes to send Annabeth those annoying texts that say, _"Percy J. just reached a new high score on -!" _and makes Annabeth question their relationship.

Oh, yes.

They're in a relationship now.

A boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.

She's wrestled with it, admitted it, come to terms with it, and told Percy that they were in a relationship. He responded with a lot of floundering awkwardly and then a hot make-out session which was totally worth the flush that burned Annabeth's face.

_"Percy, I've been doing some thinking, and I've decided we're in a relationship."_

_"Like girlfriend-boyfriend relationship, right?"__  
_

_"Um, yeah, I guess."_

_"Cool."_

_"Cool."_

_"Wanna make out?"_

_"Okay."_

She moves out as soon as she can, and moves to New York to be close to Percy while he's at NU on a swimming scholarship, while she consults for Columbia.

Percy also likes to accompany Annabeth whenever she goes over to Columbia to drop off her notes and explain them (as the professor she consults for frequently has questions) because he states that the reason the professor calls on her so much is because he likes her.

Annabeth rolls her eyes at first, thinking he means it to be a joke, but when Percy states calmly that he only wants to protect his girlfriend.

And Annabeth slaps him.

And then they start making out.

The point is, they're both very physical.

Most of them keep in touch.

Failing to rob a bank really helped the seven of them bond.

They get the call in the middle of the night, after a huge party in Percy's honor for winning his swim meet.

Percy pokes Annabeth's thigh, _"Get the phone," _he whispers, and he nuzzles his face back into her hair.

"_You_ get it," Annabeth hisses, but she pushes him away and then reaches over to her dresser to grab the phone.

"Hello?"

_"Annabeth? It's Piper. There's been a terrible accident."_

"W-What happened?"

Percy stirs, sits up. He scoots closer to Annabeth, bringing the sheets with him, "Waz goin' on?"

_"Leo's - Leo's about to die."_

A beat passes. Two.

"Where are you?"

_"Where it all started. The smug little bastard wants to be in a place surrounded by memories."_

Annabeth manages a small chuckle through her tears.

Percy places a warm, comforting arm around her shoulders. Annabeth sniffles.

* * *

Annabeth leans in, over Leo. Leo blinks, struggles to sit up.

_"I'm sorry."_

Annabeth shakes her head, "I've already forgotten."

They both chuckle, but Leo's laugh dissolves into a cough.

Hazel sobs slightly, into Frank's shoulder, and Piper clucks her tongue. Percy rubs soothing circles into Annabeth's shoulder.

"What was her name?" Annabeth manages to ask, "I never got around to finding out what it was."

"Calypso," Leo rasps.

"Can you see her?"

Leo nods, and with each nod, his head lolls and slows.

"Goodbye, Leo," Annabeth whispers.

His eyes glaze over.

* * *

FROM THE RECORDS OF OLYMPIC REHABILITATION CENTER

**Annabeth Chase **

_- an IQ of 187_

_- arrogant, self-absorbed, tends to lash out_

_- slow to trust; sarcastic_

_- suffers from bouts of selective amnesia, represses memories from her past that are negative_

_- triggers can be anything from word phrases, speaking to her, or just having a certain color of hair_

**Jason Grace**

_- injured in a football accident_

_- suffers from a concussion and amnesia_

_- father is Zeus Grace_

_- states that he rarely saw his mother or father_

_- forgot most of his memories, mostly of his personal relationship such as those of his friends and connections at his old school, Roman Academy of New York_

**Percy Jackson**

_- suffers from extreme ADHD and dyslexia, to the point where he was kicked out over ten different schools_

_- no family problems, except for about two-three years when his mother was married to an abusive man_

_- responds well and is compliant_

_- able to channel most of his anger into sports, but mostly swimming _

**Hazel Levesque**

_- father abused both her and her mother_

_- mother killed in a drive-by; taken forcefully from father when authorities realized that the situation was not positive_

_- ward of the state_

_- mother worked as a prostitute, but refuses to believe it_

_- shy, quiet, does not open up very well_

_- usually speaks in one to two word sentences_

_- strongly recommended for speech therapy_

**Piper McLean**

_- kleptomaniac_

_- father sent her in hopes of helping her_

_- socially adept_

_- would be good to take energies out on such an activity like a debate team_

_- very well connected; DO NOT anger her in any way that could be taken as offense to her father_

**Leo Valdez**

_- pyromaniac_

_- father abandoned family at young age_

_- sarcastic, snarky_

_- refuses to acknowledge his problem_

_- mother in a coma; suffered from horrible burns_

_- girlfriend named 'Calypso' killed in a fire_

* * *

**Na Na Na Na**

**Na Na Na Na**

**Hey, Hey, Hey**

**Good Bye.**

* * *

**AN: Thank you to everybody who read this story, reviewed it, favorited it, followed it. This story began as an experiment, and I was very surprised by how popular it initially was. Again, thank you.**


End file.
